Forks Of Cypress Plantation, Near Florence AL

Last month we went out to see the ruins of the Forks of Cypress plantation near Florence. It burned down in 1966 after being struck by lightning; these are pics of it from the Historic American Buildings Survey, Library of Congress, by Alex Bush in 1934:

It was built around 1830, and the gentleman who owned it was famous for raising thoroughbreds. One of the most interesting things about the plantation, though, is that some of Alex Haley’s (author of ‘Roots‘) ancestors, including his grandmother, were slaves here at Forks of Cypress. His book, Queen, named after his grandmother, was based here. This is a pic of one of the slave cabins:

The chimney is still there:

The Regions bank in downtown Florence was built to be a replica of Forks of Cypress: